Apr 19, 2006

Show Coverage: I am 8-bit @ Gallery 1988 (04.18.06)

Cameron Tiede

The 2006 edition of the I am 8-bit show featuring art inspired by the classic era of video games opened last night (18th) at Gallery nineteen eighty eight. There were some great pieces on display which took classic 8-bit videogame characters and themes and reinterpreted them visually or thematically. Perhaps, it's no surprise that Mario and Pac-Man seemed to be the most popular just by rough feel but Megaman was right there as well.

There are waaay to many pieces to comment on, so we'll stick with one -- Cameron Tiede's Super Mario inspired installation-like piece is a tribute to the classic platform rendered in 2.5D utilizing at least a dozen or more separate painted elements! This piece had the most game-like quality to it and also has the potential for lots of "replayability" by reorienting the various elements. I kept thinking though, "man you'd need a huge space for it!"

This year's show proved to be extremely popular with a steady crowd lineing up and streaming into the gallery for a good 2.5 hours at which time I went to find food. All of the Gallery's events seem to be extremely popular, but I can't remember one with a constant line for so long. Props to Jon M. Gibson, the organizer, all the participating artists and Gallery nineteen eighty eight for all the classic video game inspired goodness.